Out & About

Having fun with the weather? Oh boy isn't it Hot for all us pink-skinned Irish who get more red than brown; am I right? I should know as I get burned all the time.

I got to meet with the Taoiseach Brian Cowen T.D., last week at the Irish Consulate in Ireland House on Park Avenue before he traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to open the new Irish Consulate there.

I was hoping to have a pint, but he was rushed to his flight but he said the next time he is in town we should have one.

At the reception were Irish Echo editor Ray O'Hanlon and Adrian Flannelly, yes, the same one that is on the radio.

It's amazing what you hear when you meet some of the media people but I can't tell you, not yet...

You should take a trip out to Montauk (that's the last stop on Long Island)! Believe me it is just like being at home in Ireland - you have the beaches (don't forget your sun tan lotion),  shopping and restaurants for all your tastes and lots more.

The one you've got to visit though is Mahon's Seafood Shack right on the Montauk Highway (if your driving just past Amagansett).

John Mahon and his son Robert have opened one of the best seafood restaurants on the East Coast with all the Irish flavor and mouthwatering food you'd expect for all the family, so get on your bike and pay them a visit.

Call for reservations at (631) 565-5034 and tell them The Irish Examiner newspaper recommended them... we might get a free meal after all this... huh?

I got to meet Steve Duggan the owner of Paddy Reilly's Bar (on Second Avenue at the corner of 28th Street) on Thursday night for a  book release party for musician and author Jimmy Smith and his book 'Ned The Bed' (see the review on the page opposite). Jimmy was the founder, leader and manager of the show-band The Mighty Avons back in the heyday when show-bands ruled the Irish music scene.

The history of most of today's popular music in Ireland traces its roots back to the 'Show-band Era' which swept through the country in the 1960s and 70s. 

Show-bands traveled and played the Irish dance circuit which was mostly made up of ballrooms and the parochial halls that dotted the island.

With Jimmy Smith at the helm, The Mighty Avons, would go on to see major success all over the world, playing in such hallowed venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert Hall in London. 

They made the British charts with a 40-week run of their debut record, one of the first Irish bands ever to do so. 

Jimmy's book, 'Ned The Bed', is a tale of the fictional 'Nova's Showband' and their leader, trombone playing Ned Brady.

It was great to catch up with both Jimmy and Steve and to hear some stories about the past music scene in Ireland as I myself was part of it. I hope that book is not about me, is it? Just kidding!

For more information call (212) 772-0852 or e-mail Anitadaly@yahoo.com.  'The Parting Glass'  is a new play by Dermot Bolger which is playing at Performance Space 122 in Manhattan and will run from July 21st to 25th as part of the 4th Annual 'Underground Zero Festival'. 

It's been receiving great reviews and audience feedback and is currently touring various venues around Ireland; check it out.

On something of a sad note: a group of Martina Duffy's close friends are organizing 'A Day In Memory of Martina Duffy' on Sunday, August 29th to honor her memory. 

The day kicks off with a Soccer/GAA tournament at Paddy's Field located in the Bronx at 11:30am. 

Following this will be an afternoon at Rory Dolan's from 3pm to late with food, entertainment and kids activities.

Martina's family will be travelling from Ireland to join the Irish community at this event. 

A donation box will be available all day and the proceeds will be presented to the Ballybay Cancer Society, Co. Monaghan. 

All checks can be made payable to the "Martina Duffy Memorial Fund". 

For more information contact Sandra Carolan at (914) 963-3522 or Siobhan O'Neill on (718) 956-3969.

Please come along and bring your family and friends to support in the spirit of Martina Duffy.

Irish American Writers and Artists, Inc. has just announced that veteran film, stage and screen actor Brian Dennehy will be this year's recipient of the prestigious Eugene O'Neill Lifetime Achievement Award.

"Few actors have had the kind of career Brian Dennehy has had," said IAW&A co-founder T.J. English when he announced the award. "For over thirty years, in movies, on television and on stage, he has come to embody an iconic image of a certain type of working-class American. The cop, the priest, the fireman, the soldier - Dennehy has brought nobility and passion to these roles and established himself as the dean of American actors."

Apart from numerous other film, stage and television awards Dennehy won a Tony as Best Actor in 2003 for his performance in Long Days Journey into Night and has also appeared on Broadway in Desire Under the Elms and Hughie, and at the Abbey Theater in Dublin in The Iceman Cometh.

The award will be presented on Monday, October 18 at a reception and ceremony to be held in New York City at Rosie O'Grady's in Times Square, just two blocks from where Eugene O'Neill was born.

For ticket information, visit the IAW&A website at www.i-am-wa.org

See you all next week